Is "selling alcohol to a minor" a civil or criminal matter?

Answer 1

It can be both!
Firstly I live in Florida so that might make a little difference but most states are probably simular.
Just selling will get you arrested for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.(Even if the person is 18 yrs old, you must be 21 to purchase or consume alcohol).
The arrest can either be right there on the spot, handcuffs & all. Or it can be an R&R ( Released on your own Recognise).. but you will have to go to court because it is a legal arrest just as if they had taken you down to the local jail, but they are choosing to allow you to remain free & just show up for court.
Here in Florida you will be given a $500 fine the first time & you can bet that you will lose your job.
You are not allowed to work anywhere that alcohol is sold or served for at least 6 months but this can be up to 2 yrs. before anyone will hire you again in this line of work.
Now for the civil part ...aside from the fine that you have received...If the minor that you sold the alcohol to should go out and commit a crime, get arrested for DUI / DWI, have an automobile accident,(If the accident caused a death then you could even be charged as a principle in the cause of the persons death..YOU could go to prison!),if the minor falls & breaks his nose than you can be required to pay his medical bills, if the minor dies from alcohol poisoning than you can be charged with his death & go to prison...you can also be sued for all of the above things that I have listed by the minors parents or by a victim if a contributing factor was the alcohol that you sold/gave them.
I don't mean to frighten you; but you must realize how serious that your question & my answer really is.
It's a funny thing really..You only have to be 18 to sell alcohol in a grocery or convience store yet they don't really, fully explain the consequences to you & they expect you to be adult enough to sell alcohol.
(Just a note.. Please just be careful because that kid who's trying to purchase the alcohol doesn't care if you go to jail, lose your job & have to pay a fine!)
Use the rule..I.D. if the person looks under 27 yrs. on tobacco and under 35 yrs. on alcohol..This gives you an easier way to judge wheather you should I.D. instead of looking at the person & saying to yourself...Does he look 18 or does he look 21? Looks can be VERY deceiving when it comes to age!

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Both. Definitley criminal, if the minor is hurt or hurts someone while intoxicated whoever sold it to him can be civally liabel and sued in court by the injured party including the minor who recieved the alcohol.

Answer 4

nicely assuming any prosecution is sought, this may fall lower than both class counting on how the prosecutor needs to proceed. Odds are sturdy that this may land up in civil courtroom as a case of negligence, besides the indisputable fact that if so determined it may also be performed as a manslaughter can charge adversarial to the assistant. (Very very uncommon, yet no longer outdoors the regulation) Edit: one in each of the different comments is real, you have not commonplace that the prescription replaced into an element in the shortcoming of existence. i replaced into operating lower than this assumption, yet one I must have not made.

Answer 5

Primarily, it is a criminal offense. But in the instance that your furnishment of alcohol to a minor results in injury, death, or the like, you may be sued.

Answer 6

In most states it is a criminal matter.

Answer 7

criminal with penalties including but not limited to jail for a year and fines of $10,000 or more

Answer 8

You need to say what state you are in if you want a good answer

Answer 9

criminal

Answer 10

in the uk it is criminal.